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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29871951">In a Haze</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_s_u_n_flower/pseuds/a_s_u_n_flower'>a_s_u_n_flower</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Blood, Ficlet, Flash Fic, Hurt No Comfort, Multi, Violence, Western Air Temple, but the zutaraang dynamic is there, no actual romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:02:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>510</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29871951</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_s_u_n_flower/pseuds/a_s_u_n_flower</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Katara acted on the vow she made to Zuko?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang/Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In a Haze</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I imagine this is a situation where Zuko accidentally hurts Aang. Katara doesn’t know that, so she just...reacts.</p>
<p>I wrote this in one sitting and then edited it myself. Did I mention that I am not a writer? All mistakes are my own.</p>
<p>Based on a tumblr post.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They’re on the floor. Everything is hazy.<br/>
<br/>
Aang is here, somewhere in the background of the haze.<br/>
<br/>
She can’t hear him.<br/>
<br/>
All she sees is Zuko, all she hears is his ragged breathing, and all she feels is his blood under her hands, his weakening heart.</p>
<p>She’s bloodbending.</p>
<p>Something she promised herself she would never do. Of course, Zuko would be the one to make her break that promise. Of course, it would be Aang she would break that promise for.</p>
<p>His veins come up to the surface of his skin, dark lines running up his neck, down his chest and arms. Blood is spilling from his mouth. Slowly trickling down the side of his cheek, down to the side of his jaw, and lying in a small pool of blood next to his neck.</p>
<p>His eyes are open, filled with tears.<br/>
<br/>
His heart is so weak.<br/>
<br/>
She should stop.<br/>
<br/>
She doesn’t want to.</p>
<p>He reaches for her face. She doesn’t know how he’s doing that. She doesn’t care.</p>
<p>All she feels is anger, pain, and sadness.</p>
<p>He hurt Aang. He hurt her.</p>
<p>He brushes his hand against her cheek. The same side he wears a scar on.<br/>
<br/>
“K-Katara” he gurgles her name.<br/>
<br/>
How is he speaking?<br/>
<br/>
“I’m-m...sorry-“ he chokes out blood on the last word.</p>
<p>Suddenly, she sees green, a boy wrapped in green robes, eyes too gold, and a glimpse of goodness in them.<br/>
<br/>
A hand reaching out, brushing rough, red, aged skin.<br/>
<br/>
She stops.<br/>
<br/>
He gasps, the red river of blood slows. Dark veins still visible.<br/>
<br/>
He’s alive.<br/>
<br/>
She has tears in her eyes. They run down her cheeks, landing softly on Zuko’s face.<br/>
<br/>
And Aang is here.<br/>
<br/>
She looks at him, there’s tears flowing down his face, same as her.<br/>
<br/>
Zuko’s eyes are closed. His tears left to dry.<br/>
<br/>
His breath comes in gasps. The sounds of them echoing throughout the empty air temple walls.<br/>
<br/>
She looks at Aang, and he looks back. Not in horror. Not in much anything.<br/>
<br/>
He sits. She gets up, off the limp, breathless body, who’s cost her so much, and sits next to Aang.<br/>
<br/>
They both stare at Zuko as his breath comes back to him, as his heart goes back to normal. If there’s a slight hitch in his heart, she doesn’t notice.<br/>
<br/>
She looks at the Aang, looks at the blood on his neck, looks at the swords that started it all.<br/>
<br/>
“Aang...”<br/>
<br/>
“I get it,” he says. Of course he does. </p>
<p>He’s come close to taking a life at the threat of Katara.<br/>
<br/>
She looks at him. He takes one of Zuko’s hands. She doesn’t. Not yet.<br/>
<br/>
“Aang..” she says again.</p>
<p>He looks at her, with those too big, silver eyes of his.<br/>
<br/>
He didn’t stop her. He knew she wouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t kill Zuko. She wouldn’t kill him. She wouldn’t kill. That’s not who she is. That’s not who either of them are.</p>
<p>She stares at Zuko, the broken boy before her, and feels broken herself.<br/>
<br/>
They’re on the floor. Everything is hazy. </p>
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